CVE-2023-53556
Description
A flaw was found in the Linux kernel's iavf driver. A local user with administrative capabilities can exploit a use-after-free vulnerability, caused by a mismatch in network interface (NAPI) list management functions. This can lead to dangling NAPI entries, resulting in a kernel crash and a Denial of Service (DoS).
Statement
A use-after-free in the Intel iavf driver could be triggered by a mismatch between netif_napi_add() and netif_napi_del(), leaving dangling NAPI entries and crashing in free_netdev(). Exploitation requires local administrative capabilities (SR-IOV toggling and channel reconfiguration), so the practical impact is mostly a kernel DoS rather than privilege escalation. For the CVSS the PR:H — because changing sriov_numvfs (PF) and ethtool -L (VF) requires CAP_SYS_ADMIN/CAP_NET_ADMIN.
Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) Score Details
Info alert:Important note
CVSS scores for open source components depend on vendor-specific factors (e.g. version or build chain). Therefore, Red Hat's score and impact rating can be different from NVD and other vendors. Red Hat remains the authoritative CVE Naming Authority (CNA) source for its products and services (see Red Hat classifications).
CVSS v3 Score Breakdown
| Red Hat | NVD | cve.org | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Score | 6.6 | 7.8 | N/A |
| Attack Vector | Local | Local | N/A |
| Attack Complexity | Low | Low | N/A |
| Privileges Required | Low | Low | N/A |
| User Interaction | None | None | N/A |
| Scope | Unchanged | Unchanged | N/A |
| Confidentiality | Low | High | N/A |
| Integrity Impact | Low | High | N/A |
| Availability Impact | High | High | N/A |
Vector
Red Hat: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:L/A:H
NVD: CVSS:3.1/AV:L/AC:L/PR:L/UI:N/S:U/C:H/I:H/A:H
Understanding the Weakness (CWE)
Other
Technical Impact: Other
Frequently Asked Questions
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